conversation today with firstladymichelleobamaonher husband, the opposition, and the constant struggle to keep things normal for two daughters at home. >> you have to balance trying to keep their lives normal with allowing them to experience history. >>> also tonight an air scare. a plane turned around in mid air, a passenger handcuffed, and then we learn the real story. air, a passenger handcuffed, and then we learn the real story. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. with the fall election now 60 days away from the democrats here in charlotte it all comes down to tonight. after a long wind up and one brief cameo appearance on stage last night, tonight they get to hear from president barack obama who will make his case for re-election. this entire event is something of an audible. we were supposed to be outdoors in the football stadium but because of the rain here in charlotte including earlier today the president will appear here in this much smaller hall tonight. our team is in place to cover it all. andrea mitchell starts off ou

with firstladymichelleobama's addresswhere she played the role of cheap character witness. >> because barack knows what it means when a family struggles. he knows what it means to want something more for your kids and grandkids. >> reporter: though her speech was less partisan than most and didn't mention mitt romney by name, the contrast she drew was clear. >> reporter: because for barack, success isn't about how much money you make. it's about the difference you make in people's lives. >> perhaps the most fiery speaker tuesday night was the massachusetts governor who succeeded romney. >> he talks about the things he's fixed i can tell you massachusetts was not one of them. >> reporter: even a tribute video dedicated to the late ted kennedy featured partisan meat featuring the romney attack in the senate race. >> i am pro-choice. my opponent is multiple choice. >> reporter: four years ago they deemphasized abortion differences. >> we believe a woman considering an abortion should not be forced to have an ultrasound against her will. >> reporter: last night was also about speaking to

of attention paid to school lunches, especially with firstladymichelleobamaleadingthe push for healthier food. but there is something else going on that a growing number of our public schools across this country are seeing. an issue when the students are fed in the school day. our report tonight from nbc's kate tur. >> reporter: it's just after 6:00 in the morning, and this 17-year-old is rushing out the door for school. no time for breakfast, class starting at 8:15 his first meal today is pizza, only a couple of bites, though. >> it doesn't sit right with my stomach. >> reporter: that is because it is 9:55 in the morning, joe's regular fourth period lunch. >> i think it is too early. they should have lunch at lunchtime. >> reporter: early, but it is happening across the country. schools in at least six states start lunch before 10:00 in the morning. and in some places they eat as early as 8:30 in the morning. nobody thinks it is ideal, but for many schools like vernon high school here, they simply don't have another choice. >> reporter: a big reason, they say, overcrowded schools and ti

hasn't been straight. >> reporter: with several states allowing earlyvotings,michelleobamacalledthe right to vote the nation's most important civil rights issue. >> this is the sit in of our day, sitting in a phone bank, sitting in your living room calling your friends, neighbors, that nephew you haven't seen in a while. >> reporter: publicly both campaigns have been trying to lower expectations, even complimenting their opponents debating skills. the first debate is right here in denver. >> chuck todd joining us tonight from new york. chuck, is it clear what mitt romney needs to do to jump-start his campaign. >> i think what the romney campaign believes he has to do is that peter described what he has done this morning and that is preparing for the debate. he's spent by my calculations spent almost as much time doing mock debates as he has visiting battleground states. the romney campaign has decided this first debate is everything to get the campaign on track. we're attack away from that. president obama, he's been doing mock debates, his third on friday. he spent a couple of

messengermichelleobamacheckedout the arena this afternoon in advance of her speech tomorrow night. other key speakers include san antonio's mayor castro, massachusetts candidate elizabeth warren and former president bill clinton. all have their remarks aimed at key democratic constituencies. >> the obama campaign got another convention headache earlier this morning when the chairman of the california democratic party publicly compared paul ryan to nazi propagandaist joseph goebbels. the romney campaign took offense and called for a full repudiation of the remarks. the obama campaign did repudiate the remarks but did not call on mr. burton the chairman of the california party to resign. kate? >> chuck todd in north carolina tonight. >>> president obama spent this holiday on the campaign trail with a stop in a key swing state today before moving on to see flood damage in louisiana. kristen welker is traveling with the president and joins us from new orleans. good evening, kristen. >> reporter: good evening, kate. we are in new orleans where president obama took a detour from the campaign t